STARGAZERS get to see a Full Moon roughly every 29.5 days – that’s the time it takes to complete one lunar phase cycle.
A Full Moon is visible when it’s on the opposite side of the Earth to the Sun.
And that means it’s when skywatchers on the ground can see the Moon at its best and brightest.
When is the next Full Moon?
You’ll get the opportunity to see a Full Moon regularly throughout the year.
They arrive roughly every 29.5 days, which means you end up with about 12 Full Moons every calendar year.
With the usual pattern of about once every 29.5 days, Earth sees around 12 Full Moon’s each year.
But on some years, a 13th is squeezed in. That happened in 2023, but not in 2024.
Each Full Moon is given a special name.
Here’s the dates to look out for in 2024:
- January 25 – Wolf Moon
- February 24 – Snow Moon
- March 25 – Worm Moon
- April 23 – Pink Moon
- May 23 – Flower Moon
- June 21 – Strawberry Moon
- July 21 – Buck Moon
- August 19 – Sturgeon Moon
- September 17 – Harvest Moon / Corn Moon
- October 17 – Hunter’s Moon
- November 15 – Beaver Moon
- December 15 – Cold Moon
Four of this year’s moons are classed as Super Moons, because they appear even bigger in the night sky.
They’re a great opportunity to see the Moon at its very best.
The 2024 Super Moons are:
- August 19
- September 17
- October 17
- November 15
When is the best time to see a Full Moon?
As with any Moon, the best time is at night.
An area with little light pollution from the ground makes it even better.
And be sure to check the weather forecast so no pesky clouds block your view.
The Moon – our closest neighbour explained
Here's what you need to know...
- The Moon is a natural satellite – a space-faring body that orbits a planet
- It’s Earth’s only natural satellite, and is the fifth biggest in the Solar System
- The Moon measures 2,158 miles across, roughly 0.27 times the diameter of Earth
- Temperatures on the Moon range from minus 173 degrees Celcius to 260 degrees Celcius
- Experts assumed the Moon was another planet, until Nicolaus Copernicus outlined his theory about our Solar System in 1543
- It was eventually assigned to a “class” after Galileo discovered four moons orbiting Jupiter in 1610
- The Moon is believed to have formed around 4.51billion years ago
- The strength of its gravitational field is about a sixth of Earth’s gravity
- Earth and the Moon have “synchronous rotation”, which means we always see the same side of the Moon – hence the phrase “dark side of the Moon”
- The Moon’s surface is actually dark, but appears bright in the sky due to its reflective ground
- During a solar eclipse, the Moon covers the Sun almost completely. Both objects appear a similar size in the sky because the Sun is both 400 times larger and farther
- The first spacecraft to reach the Moon was in 1959, as part of the Soviet Union’s Lunar program
- The first manned orbital mission was Nasa’s Apollo 8 in 1968
- And the first manned lunar landing was in 1969, as part of the Apollo 11 mission
What is a Super Moon?
A Super Moon is relatively rare, occurring just a few times a year.
It happens because of a combination of two different astronomical effects.
This is when a new or Full Moon coincides with the moon’s closet point to Earth in its monthly orbit (known officially as perigee).
A Moon has to come within 90 per cent of its closest approach to Earth to be formally defined as a super moon.
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